1、 Introduction

The development of Chinese education in Portugal has a profound historical and cultural foundation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal in 1979, the relationship between the two countries has been continuously strengthened, and Chinese education has developed rapidly. In 2006, Portugal established Confucius Institutes, and in 2019, Chinese education was officially incorporated into the national education system. Currently, Chinese education in Portugal is facing challenges such as uneven development, insufficient teaching resources, and limited cooperation in vocational education. This study will analyze the driving forces and constraints of the development of Chinese education in Portugal, propose improvement strategies, and provide decision-making references for promoting its development.

2、 Overall Development Characteristics of Chinese Education in Portugal

Portuguese Chinese education has achieved significant development in basic education, secondary education, and higher education. In 2014, the Portuguese government allowed some regions to include Chinese as an optional foreign language course in basic education, such as the cities of San Juan de Madeira and Espinio. In 2015, Chinese became the third foreign language in secondary education, and some middle schools included Chinese as a compulsory course, with the number of learners increasing year by year. In terms of higher education, universities such as Minho University have established Chinese majors, covering undergraduate to doctoral courses, and some universities also offer "Chinese+" vocational education. In addition, since 2006, Portugal has established 5 Confucius Institutes and 2 Confucius Classrooms, with a total of over 42000 students, promoting the integration of Chinese education and vocational fields, such as the "Chinese+Traditional Chinese Medicine" project at the Confucius Institute of Coimbra University.

3、 The Motivation for the Development of Chinese Education in Portugal

Explored in depth the three major driving forces behind the development of Chinese education in Portugal. Firstly, China and Portugal have established a comprehensive strategic partnership, and the deepening of political mutual trust has provided a stable political and social environment for Chinese education. Secondly, the close economic and trade cooperation between China and Portugal, as well as the rise of the tourism industry, have brought huge market demand for Chinese education. China has become an important trading partner of Portugal, and the increase in the number of Chinese tourists has also promoted the development of Chinese education. Finally, deep cooperation in the field of education, including support for language policies, two-way development of education and research, and cooperation in vocational training, especially in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, provides strong support for the promotion of Chinese education in Portugal. These factors have collectively driven the rapid development of Chinese education in Portugal.

4、 The realistic challenges faced by the development of Chinese education in Portugal

Although Portuguese Chinese education has achieved certain results, it faces many challenges. The development of Chinese education in Portugal is uneven at different stages of education, lacking unified teaching standards, resulting in inconsistent curriculum and connection issues. There are significant regional differences in development, and the promotion of Chinese education in the southern region is slow. Local teaching resources are scarce, with low utilization rates, mainly relying on general textbooks published in China, which is not conducive to the sustainable development of Chinese education. In addition, the depth and breadth of cooperation in the field of Chinese vocational education are insufficient, especially the connection between the traditional Chinese medicine industry and Chinese education has not been fully explored, and effective educational cooperation models have not yet been formed in other fields such as tourism and new energy vehicles.

5、 Strategies for Enhancing the Development of Chinese Education in Portugal

Three improvement strategies for the development of Chinese education in Portugal have been proposed. Firstly, it is emphasized that Chinese education should be incorporated into the national education system. It is suggested that China and Portugal strengthen policy support, promote balanced development of Chinese education at all stages of education, and establish unified Chinese teaching standards. Secondly, it is important to emphasize the construction of local teaching resources and suggest strengthening cooperation between local experts and Chinese teachers, developing highly adaptable Chinese textbooks to meet the needs of local learners, and laying out the research and development of professional Chinese textbooks in advance. Finally, it is proposed that Chinese education should cooperate with the market, serve local economic development, deepen cooperation in Chinese vocational education, offer characteristic vocational courses, cultivate service-oriented Chinese talents, and leverage Macao's role as a link to promote exchanges and cooperation between China and Portugal in economic, cultural, scientific research and other fields, providing support for the long-term development of Chinese education in Portugal.

6、 Conclusion

The importance of comprehensively understanding the situation of Chinese education in different regions was emphasized, and solutions were proposed to promote the high-quality and connotative development of international Chinese education. Studying the characteristics, motivations, and development strategies of Chinese education in Portugal is crucial for promoting the popularization of Chinese in the local area. Portuguese speaking countries can learn from Portugal's experience in Chinese education. In the new era of Sino Portuguese relations, the two countries should strengthen cooperation, improve the level of Chinese education, enhance local resource construction, explore new areas of market cooperation, accelerate the localization of Chinese education, and achieve sustainable development of Chinese education in Portuguese speaking countries.